Charles hammen



C. HAMMEN.

CONVERTIBLE ELEVATOR. APPLICATION FILED IIILY 23. Isls.

l l 93,893 PatentedAug. 8, 1916.

2 SHEETS-SHEET l.

" @MSM C. HAMMEN.

CONVERTIBLE ELEVATOR.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 23| |9I5- 1,1 93,893. Patented Aug. 8, 1916.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

IHIIIIIII Il ll @s jf 611770426 222// ran sfrafras FATE CHARLES HAMMEN, 0F CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF IO ELWYN ,W. SEYMOUR, OF EVANSTON, ILLINOIS.

CONVERTIBLE ELEVATOR.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 8, 1916.

Application filed July 23, 1915. Serial No. 41,466.

T 0 all whom t may concern.:

Be it known that I, CHARLES HAMMEN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented new and useful Improvements in Convertible Elevators, of which the following is a specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part thereof.

The purpose of this invention is to provide a pair of elevator cars, together with suitable lifting gear for them, so arranged that the two cars may be operated in unison as a single large elevator, but adapted to permit separate operation of the cars at will as hereinafter described:

The invention consists in this combination together with certain features and elem/ents of construction described and shown in the drawings, as indicated by the appended claims.

In the drawings: Figure l is a side elevation of the two elevator cars and their lifting gear showing the cars arranged to operate in unison. Fig. 2 is an end elevation of the parts shown in Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is an enlarged detail view partly in section showing the construction of the winding drum. Fig. 4 is a view taken similarly to Fig. l showing the two cars arranged for simultaneous operation in opposite directions counterbalancing each other. Fig. 5 is a view taken similarly to Fig. 1 showing the cars arranged for simultaneous operation in opposite directions and through different distances. Fig. 6 is a detail plan'view of a modified form of lifting gear. Fig. 7

is a detail section illustrating a bridging the car, B, while the opposite clear sides, A2

and B2, respectively, will register with the landing floors, C, D and E. Thus when the two platforms are brought to a common plane they provide a clear floor space from A2 to B2, and if operated in unison will serve practically as a single large elevator.

To secure lightness of construction each car is supported by two cables, G1 and G2, connected respectively to the two side frames, F1, F1, of the car, and passing over sheaves or head pulleys, H1 and H2, and thence to the winding drum. Except in the modification shown in Fig. 6, the winding drums for both cars, A and B, are carried on a single shaft, J, driven from a power shaft, K, through a worm gear, L. Two drums, AX and AY, and BX and BY, are shown for each of the cars, A and B. In the arrangement illustrated in Fig. 1 the hoisting cables for both cars are wound on the smaller drums, AX and BX, and since both these drums are rigid with the shaft, J, it will be seen that the two cars will beoperated simultaneously at exactly the same speed, so that with the cables leading off the same side of both drums, AX and B", the cars will operate in the same direction simultaneously and maintain their alinement with each other so as to serve in unison. For this arrangement there is provided no counterbalance for the cars and this is the principal reason for leading the hoisting cables on to the smaller drums. During such use the short gap between the edges,A1 and B1,of the two cars may be bridged by a thin metal apron, M, shown in detail in Fig. 7 as hinged at M1, to the car, A, and adapted when out of use to be folded back upon the floor of said car, As a precaution against the breaking of the cables of one car, the platforms, A and B, may be connected together as by the coupling link, N, (see Fig. 7 so that in case of such breakage the injured car will be restrained by its connection to the other car and will not drop to the bottom of the shaft.

When the smaller drums, AX and BX, are

in use the larger drums, AY and By, are tembalance the weight` of the other, and the dead weight of the cars themselves is thus eliminated as a part of the load on the engine permitting operation at a higher speed.V For this purpose therefore the larger drums, Ay and BY, are brought into service. This is done by shifting the larger drums into a position in which they encircle the smaller drums and in which they are secured by bolting their annular flanges, Y1, to the flanges, X1, of the smaller drums by bolts, Z,

Y, indicated in Fig. 3. The hoisting cables are unwound from theV smaller drums and wound onto the larger drums, one of the elevator cars being blocked meanwhile in registration with the landing, E, while the other car stands at its lower limit of travel in registration with the iioor, C.

As indicated in Fig. 4, the cables of the respective cars, A and B, are arranged to lead off from opposite sides of the drums,

, Ay and BY, respectively, so that both drums being fast on the same shaft, J, the cars will travel in opposite directions when the power is applied. To insure safety with such operation, it is desirable to mount a partition between the two cars so that the load on either of them may not project over the adjacent edges, A1 or B1, and be damaged by collision with the other car in passing it.-

Parallel rails, Q and B, extending vertically at both sides of the shaft provide a groove in which a wall of boards or other suitable material may be inserted to form such a partition wall at S; when the two cars are to Vbe operated in unison, as in Fig. l, this wall may be readily removed leaving the space clear between the cars.

A third arrangement which is possible with the combination shown is that illustrated in Fig. 5, in which the two cars are Voperated simultaneously and in opposite directions, but in which the car, A, has its hoisting cables attached to the smaller drums, A", while the cables of the car, B,

as the car, B, for agiven number of turns of the shaft, J, to which both drums are rigidly secured. Thus the car, A, may be made to travel only between the floors, D Y

and E, while the car, B, Vmay travel between thefloors B and E, without stopping at the floor, D, so that the loads may be distributed to the two cars in accordance with their destination whether it be the floor D or the floor C, assuming the upper lio-or, E, as the loading position, or in accordance with their source if they are being unloaded from the floors, D and C, and elevated to the iioor, E. This arrangement has been found of peculiar Value in a ships elevator, in which, C, may represent the bottom floor of theships holdwhile, E, indicates the loading floor from which the gangway leads to the wharf,

while, D, may be a permanent or a removi able mezzanine floor in the hold. Tt will be seen that with the two cars connected respectively to the different sized drums, AX

and By, as in Fig. 5, they willnot com-V pletely counterbalance each other, Vbut if operated in opposite directions, as indicated by the opposite windings ofthe cables, their dead load will be partially compensated thus to some extent lightening the load on the engine or motor which operates them. Y

Fig. 6 illustrates a hoisting gear for a4V pair of elevator cars as above described, and designed to accomplish the same result as the double-drum system, but avoiding the detachment and reattachment of the hoisting' cables in shifting from one mode of operation to the other. In this arrangement, the engine or motor is connected to a side shaft instead of to the drum shaft, J, and the latter ismade in two separate parts, J1 and J 2, carrying respectively the winding drums, U and V. For moving the two cars in unison, as in the arrangement of Fig. l., the power shaft, T, is connected with the two drums, U and V, through two pairs of two to Vone gears, l and 2, and 3 and 4, re-

spectively, and with bot-h cablesV leading from the same side of the two drums it will be evident that the two cars will move together as desired. v

Associated with the gear, l, is a gear, 5, and rigid with the shaft, J1, is a. gear, 6, equal in size to the gear, 5. The shaft, J 2,

- carries a gear, 7, equal in size to the gear, V3,

while an idler gear, 8, is mounted in position to mesh constantly with the gear, 7. Now for obtaining the operation indicated in Fig. 4, the gears, 1,5 and 8, which are splined onto'the shaft, T, or shifted longitudinally thereon to bring the gear, 5, into mesh with u the gear, 6, and to move the gear, 3, into mesh with the gear, 8. When the power is applied to the shaft, T, the two drums, U and opposite directions by reason of the presence of the reversing idler, 8, in the train. Either of the slidable gears on the shaft, T, may be removedto an idle position out of mesh with the gears on the drum shaft for making the above change. Starting with both cars at the lower limit, C, the gear, 3, is first moved to idle position and the power employed for lifting the car, A, to its upper limit at which it may be blocked while the gear, 5, is then shifted to mesh with gear, 6, and gear, 3, is moved on into registration with the reversing idler, 8. Then removing the blocking and connecting the power thecars will travel oppositely without any change in the cable winding on either drum.

Now to secure the third mode of operation, as indicated in Fig. 5, it is only necessary to shift the associated gears, 1 and 5, back to their original position in which the gear, 1, meshes with the gear, 2, so that while the drums, U and V, are rotated in opposite directions the drum, U, will turn at only one-half the speed of the drum,V,- in other words, the travelv on the elevator connected to the drum, U, will be only half that of the car connected to the drum, V. Fig. 6 is more or less diagrammatic and it may be understood that any suitable means for shifting the gears on the shaft, T, and for retaining them in their various positions may be provided.

I claim 1. The combination of a plurality of platform elevator cars mounted for travel side by side, and hoisting gear adapted for moving said cars in unison with their platforms substantially alined in a common plane.

2. The combination of a plurality of platform elevator cars mounted for travel side by side, the adjacent sides of said cars being clear for access from one car to another, and hoisting gear adapted for moving said cars in unison with their platforms substantially alined in a common plane.

3. The combination of a plurality of platform elevato-r cars mounted for travel side by side, the adjacent sides of said cars being clear for access from one car to another, the opposite side of one car being clear for access to a landing, together with hoisting ear adapted for moving said cars in unison with their platforms substantially alined in a common plane.

4. In combination with a pair of platform elevator cars mounted for travel side by side, hoisting apparatus for both cars and means for synchronizing said apparatus to secure simultaneous movement of the cars in definite relation to each other, such hoisting apparatus for one of the cars V, will be rotated at equal speeds iny including a connection reversible at will adapted to `cause travel of the cars in the same or in opposite directions simultaneously as desired.

5. In combination with a pair of platform elevator cars mounted for travel side by side, hoisting apparatus for both cars and means for synchronizing said apparatus to secure simultaneous movement of the cars, such apparatus including means for varying the speed ratio between said cars at will for causing them to travel equal or different distances simultaneously as desired.

6. In combination with a pair of platform elevator cars mounted for travel side by side, a common power shaft and positive connections therefrom to both cars for moving them simultaneously, the connection for one car being reversible at will to permit said cars to be operated in unison or in counterbalancing relation as desired.

7 In combination with a pair of platform elevator cars mounted for travel side by side, a common power shaft and positive connections therefrom to both cars for moving them simultaneously, the connection for one car including means for varying the speed ratio between said car and the shaft adapted to permit the cars to travel equal or different distances simultaneously.

8. In combination with a pair of platform elevator cars mounted for travel side by side, the adjacent sides of said cars being clear for access from one car to the other, hoisting apparatus for both cars and means for synchronizing said apparatus for moving the cars in unison, such hoisting apparatus for one of the cars including a connection reversible at will adapted to permit simultaneous travel of the cars in opposite directions when desired, said cars being mounted to leave a clearance space between their said adjacent sides, a partition wall, and means for removably supporting said wall in said clearance space.

9. In combination with a pair of platform elevator cars mounted for travel side by side, the adjacent sides of said cars being clear for access from one car to the other, hoisting apparatus for both cars and means for synchronizing said apparatus for moving the cars in unison, such hoisting apparatus for one of the cars including a connection reversibleat will adapted to permit simultaneous travel of the cars in opposite directions when desired, said cars being mounted to leave a clearance space between their said adjacent sides, and an apron adjustably carried by one of the cars adapted for bridging said clearance space when the cars are operated in unison.

10. In combination with a pair of platform elevator cars mounted for travel side l by side, the adjacent sides of said cars being clear for access from one cai' to the other, hoisting apparatus for both cars and means for synchronizing said appaiatus to cause 5 the cars to operate in unison, together With a coupling link connecting said cars at their adjacent sides as and for the purposes def scribed.

In `testimony-Wheieof I have hereunto set my hand at Chicago, Illinois, this 15th day 10 of July, 1915;

CHARLES HAMMEN.

Witnesses:

EDNA M. MACINTOSH, LUCY I. STONE.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for vc cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,`

Washington, D. C. 

